Toy windmill



Nov. 4, 1969 HOP LEE TOY WINDMILL Filed May 10. 1967 INVENTOR.

HOP LEE ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,475,850 TOY WINDMILL Hop Lee, 779 Commercial St., San Francisco, Calif. 94108 Filed May 10, 1967, Ser. No. 637,469 Int. Cl. A63h 33/40 U.S. Cl. 46-58 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy windmill that is formed from a single square blank. The blank has cuts therein to define the four blades and these blades have integral extensions that are used for curving the blades when the windmill is mounted for rotation. Novel cooperating locking means is provided in the blade extensions for removably interconnecting the extensions of diagonally opposed blades to each other so that these extensions will hold the blades in a concave shape.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION In my copending application on a toy windmill and noise maker, Ser. No. 486,988, filed Sept. 13, 1965, I disclose a windmill in which an eyelet permanently secures the extensions of the blades together for holding the blades in a concave shape. Also the windmill rotates a shaft that in turn operates a mechanism for beating a disc like a drum to make a noise while the windmill rotates.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the inventon is in wind actuated toys. The windmill is formed from a square blank that has curved cuts that are shaped to form four curved blades when the extensions of diagonally opposed blades are interconnected with each other.

(2) Description of the prior art. Patents have been issued on toy pin wheels of various shapes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of my invention is to provide a toy windmill in which a square blank is cut in a particular manner to form four blades and an integral extension for each blade. Extensions of diagonally opposed blades have an arrowshaped tongue at the end of one extension that is removably received in a cooperating locking slot provided in the associate extension.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a square blank with arcuate-shaped cuts that define the four windmill blades and their integral extensions.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the blank showing the blade extensions interlocked for holding the blades in a concave shape.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view of the interconnecting ends of the blade extensions and illustrates the arrowshaped tongue on one blade extension interlocking with a cooperating slot provided in an extension of a diagonally opposed blade. The figure is an enlargement of the circled portion 3 shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the rotatable shaft that supports the toy windmill. The shaft is rotatably mounted in a handle and it carries a tail-piece that is rotated with the windmill.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of the tail-piece shown on a smaller scale than in FIGURE 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In carrying out my invention, I provide a square blank A that may be made out of any flexible material desired ICC such as paper or plastic. The blank A has four arcuate cuts 1 therein that form the blank into four windmill blades indicated at B, C, D, and B, see FIGURE 1. The arcuate cuts 1 are in the form of reverse curves that form integral extensions B1, D1, C1 and E1 for the four blades B to E inclusive, respectively. Each extension extends transversely to its associate blade. The extensions D1 and E1 have arrowhead-shaped tongues D2 and E2, while the other two extensions B1 and C1 have slots 2 and 3, respectively. It will be noted that the slot 2 extends substantially in the same direction as the length of the extension and it has a small circular opening 2a at one end and a larger circular opening 2b at the other end. In like manner the slot 3 has a small circular opening 3a at one end and a larger circular opening 3b at the other end.

FIGURE 2 shows the blank A formed into a windmill. The diametrically opposed extensions C1 and E1 are connected together by inserting the arrowshaped head E2 into the slot 3 and then the other two diametrically opposed extensions B1 and D1 are likewise connected. Since FIG- URES 2 and 3 show the extensions B1 and D1 overlying the other two interconnected extensions, it will be best to describe how interlocking means is provided for these extensions for removably connecting them together and this will sufiice for both sets. The arrowhead-shaped tongue D2 of the extension D1 is inserted into the slot 2 of the extension B1 with the plane of the arrowhead paralleling the length of the slot 2. After the arrow head tongue D2 has been fully passed through the slot until the neck 4 of the tongue is received in the slot 2, then the extension D1 is slipped along the slot until the neck is received in the large opening 2b at the outer end of the slot. The large opening 2b has a diameter greater than the width of the neck 4 and this will permit the operator to swing the plane of the extension D1, neck 4 and arrowhead D2 into a plane substantially paralleling the plane of the extension B1 at the end having the slot 2 therein. The interlocking extensions provide their associate blades with rolled concave portions.

The connection of the extensions B1 and D1 may dispose the extension B1 on top of the extension D1 with the exception of the arrowhead tongue D2. Both FIGURES 2 and 3 show this arrangement although it is possible to interconnect the two extensions B1 and D1, together so that the arrowhead D2 underlies the end of the extension B1. The large openings 2b and 3b not only receive the necks 4 and 5 of the extensions D1 and E1, respectively, but they also serve the additional purpose of preventing any tearing action which otherwise might occur at this end of the slots 2 and 3. The small openings 2a and 3a at the opposite ends of the slots 2 and 3 tend to prevent :any tearing action at these ends.

FIGURES 1 and 4 show a standard snap fastener F placed at the center of the blank A. This snap fastener has a socket 6 that has a force fit on a cylindrical end 7 of a rotatable shaft G. The shaft has an enlarged cylindrical portion 8, axially aligned with the cylindrical end 7. The shaft then has a smaller diameter cylindrical portion 9 that is rotatably mounted in a bore 10 that extends transversely through a handle H. A washer 11 is placed between the end of the enlarged cylindrical portion 8 and the adpacent side of the handle. The left hand cylindrical end 12 of the rotary shaft G has a force fit in a cylindrical recess provided in a windmill tail supporting cylindrical member I. A washer 13 is placed between the member I and the adjacent side of the handle H.

The windmill tail K is illustrated in edge view in FIG- URE 4 and in plan view in FIGURE 5. The cylindrical member I has a slot 14 in one end to frictionally receive the tail K for supporting it and it has a cylindrical socket 15 at the other end, see FIGURE 5, for frictionally receiving the cylindrical end 12 of the shaft G. The tail has two rows of openings 16 that converge toward each other from the wider to the more narrow part of the tail.

There is no shaft or rod that extends from the fastener F to the front of the windmill where the two pairs of extensions are interconnected. This makes the windmill lighter in construction and there will be less weight to be rotated when the windmill is moved through the air. The Washers 11 and 13 lessen any friction between the rotary shaft G and the handle H. The tail piece K will be rotated with the shaft because of the friction fit between the cylindrical end 12 of the shaft and the cylindrical wall of the recess 15. If desired an adhesive may be used for permanently connecting the tail piece, supporting member J to the cylindrical end 12 of the shaft G.

I claim:

1. A toy windmill comprising:

(a) a square flexible tblank provided with arcuate cuts to form four windmill blades with integral extensions that extend transversely to the blades;

(b) the four extensions being arranged in two pairs with the extensions of each pair being disposed diametrically apart; and

(c) interlocking means carried by the two sections of each pair for removably connecting the two sections of each pair for removably connecting the two sections of the pair together for providing rolled concave portions for the blades;

(d) said interlocking means includes one of the extensions in each pair of extensions as having a slot extending substantially in the same direction as the length of the extension with an opening at the outer end of the slot;

(e) the other extension in each pair of extensions having an arrowshaped tongue insertable through the slot in the associate extension; said tongue having a neck portion of less width than the opening, the neck portion being received in the opening and permitting the plane of said tongue to substantially parallel the plane of the adjacent portion of the extension that has the slot therein, the base of said arrow-shaped tongue being too wide to pass through the slot;

(f) whereby the two extensions of each pair are removably connected together.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, and in which (a) The slot in one extension extending in the direction of the length of the associate extension when the two extensions are interconnected.

3. In combination (a) a handle having a transversely extending bore therein;

(b) a shaft rotatably mounted in said bore and having an enlarged cylindrical portion positioned adjacent to said handle;

(0) a washer mounted on said shaft and positioned between said handle and said enlarged portion;

(d) said shaft projecting beyond the side of said handle disposed opposite from said enlarged portion;

(e) a windmill tail-supporting member mounted on the projecting end of said shaft so as to be disposed on the opposite side from said enlarged cylindrical portion; and

(f) a windmill tail secured to said member and having its axis aligned with the axis of said member so that a rotation of said member will rotate the tail.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3, and in which (a) the enlarged cylindrical portion of said shaft has a reduced cylindrical portion axially aligned therewith; and

(b) an air-actuated toy windmill removably secured to said reduced cylindrical portion, the windmill when rotated by the air also rotating said shaft, tailsupporting member and tail as a unit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,533,110 12/1950 Harbert 4658 3,221,440 12/ 1965 Gutierrez 465 3 X FOREIGN PATENTS 97,306 11/5/60 Norway.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner 

